This site is an archive of ChiotsRun.com. For the latest information about Susy and her adventrures, visit the Cultivate Simple site.
Thank you for all your support over the years!

A Little Fun

August 13th, 2009

Who said canning wasn’t fun? Last year I introduced a friend of mine the joy of pickled beets. He now loves them and always helps us pollish off jar after jar of them. I decided while canning some this year I’d make some just for him. Since he’s a fan of the The Office, I figured I’m make his with a special label.
Schrute_farms_beets

Do you share your harvests with friends & family?

29 Comments to “A Little Fun”
  1. Frugal Trenches on August 13, 2009 at 5:40 am

    What a beautiful jar!

    Yes, although I don’t have much personal harvest I try to share whenever possible!

    Reply to Frugal Trenches's comment

  2. Daphne on August 13, 2009 at 8:03 am

    I do share, usually when I have way too much coming out of the garden. I’ve given away chard, komatsuna, tyfon, snow peas, snap peas (both uncooked and pickled), and cherry tomatoes. Last year I gave away tons of pickles, but this year my cucumbers just haven’t produced.
    .-= Daphne´s last blog ..Compost Turned =-.

    Reply to Daphne's comment

  3. Chicago Mike on August 13, 2009 at 8:14 am

    I do share. I share zuchinni (a lot of it), tomatoes, herbs, whatever I have and can’t use I preserve or share, and particularly when I have just a small amount, its a lot easier to share.

    And, that label ROX!
    .-= Chicago Mike´s last blog ..Dazzling Color, Great Taste =-.

    Reply to Chicago Mike's comment

  4. Dave on August 13, 2009 at 8:39 am

    Mmmmm. Beets! Looks good. I canned some peach preserves we hope to share around Christmas time with folks.
    .-= Dave´s last blog ..A Quick and Easy Rustic Planter =-.

    Reply to Dave's comment

  5. KitsapFG on August 13, 2009 at 8:39 am

    Fun labels!

    I share meals made from our garden often and I share excess produce that are perishable and not easily preserved. The vast majority of our garden output though is not generally shared. We get 100% of our vegetables from our garden (no purchased items other than mushrooms and fruits) so produce not currently needed is preserved in some fashion for later use. Obviously things like Lettuce don’t lend themselves well to that – so we share the extra bounty.

    Reply to KitsapFG's comment

  6. s on August 13, 2009 at 9:16 am

    I try to give to neighbors when I see them, and we have guests they often go home with zucchini too, ha! And as mentioned, perishables such as lettuce for sure. I also LOVE having people over for dinner this time of year!

    I do fine that now that I preserve so much of our harvest, I don’t have quite the pull to get rid of extra stuff–especially tomatoes. But, I guess I do gift out the jams and jellies etc so maybe it all works out :)

    Anybody else worry about gifting home canned stuff? I sometimes think that if the recipient does not trust the methods, they might not use it? I would hate for something to go to waste…
    .-= s´s last blog ..low-budget seed saving =-.

    Reply to s's comment

  7. tj on August 13, 2009 at 9:51 am

    …I too am a big fan of “The Office” and that I love the label! :o)

    …Yes – I share our harvest and canned items too but I do agree with ‘s’ up there about concerns with folks taking the canned items and then not using them. It’s so hard to tell if people will genuinely use the stuff you send home with them… I am choosy about who I give my home canned goods too and hope for the best!

    …Btw, I would like to know how you preserve your sweet corn? Do you leave it on the cob and if so, do you blanch it first? Do you use a Food Saver Machine to freeze produce? I would like to freeze sweet corn and am not sure about how to do this… Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

    …Blessings… :o)

    Reply to tj's comment

    • Susy on August 13, 2009 at 9:58 am

      I usually blanch the corn for a few minutes, plunge into cold water, then cut it off the cob (I use a good knife) and freeze it in small glass containers (we’re glass container people, no plastic). My sister freezes hers in small ziploc bags and those square hefty freezer containers. You can freeze it on the cob, but I find it takes up so much space in the freezer.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  8. elephant's eye on August 13, 2009 at 9:55 am

    We share plums and figs. When you’ve got them, you’ve got them!

    Reply to elephant’s eye's comment

    • Susy on August 13, 2009 at 9:58 am

      MMM, figs. I just got a fig tree this year. I’m hoping in a few years we have figs to dry (and give away).

      Reply to Susy's comment

  9. the inadvertent farmer on August 13, 2009 at 10:35 am

    My Christmas baskets are full of home canned goodies…especially jams and jellies to go with the homemade bread and scones I tuck into the baskets! Kim
    .-= the inadvertent farmer´s last blog ..Watermelon Time! =-.

    Reply to the inadvertent farmer's comment

  10. Mike on August 13, 2009 at 11:06 am

    You know, I have always wanted to try pickled beets, you make them sound so good. Perhaps I will try making some with this years crop. I’m sure I will like them.
    .-= Mike´s last blog ..A Good Year For Peppers =-.

    Reply to Mike's comment

  11. Christine on August 13, 2009 at 11:19 am

    Those labels are hilarious. I don’t watch any TV, with the exception of The Office on DVD. Poor Dwight.

    I want to get into canning. I pickled and canned some jalapenos a while back, but beyond that and tomatoes, I think I’m too scared to can without a pressure cooker. I think I’ll stick with freezing food for now, and try that later down the road.
    .-= Christine´s last blog ..An unexpected harvest =-.

    Reply to Christine's comment

    • Susy on August 13, 2009 at 9:49 pm

      There’s really nothing to be afraid of, particularly with relishes & chutneys. Usually if something doesn’t go right and somethings not sealed, you’ll know when you pull it out of the pantry!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  12. Teri on August 13, 2009 at 11:19 am

    I share both fresh and canned. I have a few friends, that give me my jars back and ask for refills:) That always makes me smile.
    .-= Teri´s last blog ..222/365 =-.

    Reply to Teri's comment

    • Susy on August 13, 2009 at 9:48 pm

      I have people hint that they’d love some more of something.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  13. Maureen on August 13, 2009 at 11:20 am

    We do share….especially since I made tons of strawberry jam and no one in our house really likes it that much (not sure what I was thinking, we prefer blackberry). So we’ve been giving jars away (sometimes with a loaf of homemade bread) along with tomatoes, beans, and zucchini. It’s wonderful to be able to help families that are struggling this year, we don’t have a lot of extra cash but everyone’s gotta eat!

    ps. We LOVE ‘The Office’.
    .-= Maureen´s last blog ..More Salsa =-.

    Reply to Maureen's comment

    • Susy on August 13, 2009 at 9:48 pm

      That’s funny that everyone prefers blackberry to strawberry, it seems like everyone I know is a strawberry jam lover. Personally, my favorite is wild black raspberry. Strawberry is a little too sweet for my tastes.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  14. Maureen on August 13, 2009 at 11:21 am

    Heck with ‘a lot of extra cash’ ….we don’t have ANY extra cash!
    .-= Maureen´s last blog ..More Salsa =-.

    Reply to Maureen's comment

  15. Beth Stoneking on August 13, 2009 at 5:00 pm

    Love pickled beets and the label was excellent! Would you share your recipe, please? I’m getting ready to make mine but I’d like a tried and true recipe. Yours look great!
    Beth

    Reply to Beth Stoneking's comment

    • Susy on August 17, 2009 at 12:03 pm

      It’s the recipe from The Joy of Pickling.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  16. Pampered Mom on August 13, 2009 at 5:49 pm

    I love the label! We co-garden with my parents so the sharing part is sort of implied, but it’s not abnormal for me to take both halves of the harvest and process them in some fashion (ferment, combine with other ingredients to make something new, can, etc).
    .-= Pampered Mom´s last blog ..Lemon Verbena Kefir Soda (adapted slightly from "Full Moon Feast" =-.

    Reply to Pampered Mom's comment

    • Susy on August 13, 2009 at 9:47 pm

      I also garden at my mom’s so I picked all of her beets and then canned them. I return half of them to her in jars.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  17. stefaneener on August 13, 2009 at 9:52 pm

    My 14 year old might eat them with that label! Actually, she’d probably just display them.

    I give away lots of jam and honey, but I wish I could get jars back!

    Reply to stefaneener's comment

  18. Beegirl on August 14, 2009 at 9:34 am

    I wait all year to make pickled beets! Just did 7 pints and can’t wait to do more! It surprises me how much we get from the garden. More than enough for 4 adults, so we are always giving things away. 4 eggs a day is more that all of us can eat, so we’ve been giving those out too. Too much fun!!
    .-= Beegirl´s last blog ..Blogger lost my peeps! =-.

    Reply to Beegirl's comment

  19. Jason Erickson on August 17, 2009 at 11:47 am

    Any chance of you sharing that recipe? I’ve been looking to try beet recipes and there are just too many variations. I’d like to try one I know has been tried and tested.

    Reply to Jason Erickson's comment

  20. Eve Martel on August 29, 2009 at 8:24 pm

    This is epic!
    .-= Eve Martel´s last blog ..Attention beet lovers =-.

    Reply to Eve Martel's comment

  21. Sarah on February 24, 2010 at 9:00 pm

    Too Funny! Love the label :)
    .-= Sarah´s last blog ..My Seedlings =-.

    Reply to Sarah's comment

  22. Bethany on October 4, 2011 at 2:30 pm

    I love the label… really funny. I definitely share with my family, but when we are able to we like to have canning parties. We always get way more done working together than we do alone and then we share the proceeds. It works out really well. Not beets though… I haven’t yet acquired a taste for those, although I think it might be a good idea. Don’t ask… I’m weird like that. I can force myself to acquire tastes for about any food I dislike if I have enough motivation, it’s bizarre.

    Reply to Bethany's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

Admin
Read previous post:
Benefical Plants: Queen Anne’s Lace

I always love the season of Queen Anne's Lace. It really is such a lovely wild flower (or weed). It's...

Close